Finish your Christmas Shopping at the Christmas Party and Holiday Craft Fair on Dec. 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Westwego Farmers and Fisheries Market, 4th Street and Sala Avenue. Pictures with Santa will be available, and there will be a Louisiana Kids Holiday Extravaganza Show.

Also, ring in the new year at the New Year’s Eve Party from 8 p.m. until midnight at the Westwego Farmers and Fisheries Market. There will be a free concert and fireworks.

Good Samaritan Food Bank

Hundreds of people gathered at the Good Samaritan Service Food Bank, a partner of Second Harvest Food Bank, in Westwego on Nov. 20 for its annual turkey drive.

The nonprofit organization is located at 151 Sala Ave., and helps more than 600 households.

“Our number of clients is increasing tremendously,” Manager Judith Ingram said. She said that monthly reports given to Second Harvest Bank indicated that last month they had 135 new households. A household can consist of one person on up nine persons.

“It’s a need here,” she said.

Ingram said that they are getting more families who lost their jobs and food stamp benefits.

“It’s a desperate situation. People are really in need.”

Keith Turner received a turkey from the Good Samaritan Service Food Bank in Westwego. He said,"The turkey is a blessing because I don't have much food left at the end of the month since my food stamps have been decreased."

Local businesses that partner with the food bank include Cargill, Blackwater and Progressive Waste.

Cargill donates turkeys every year. Cargill also recently gave a $19,000.00 grant.

“This will help us tremendously, but it’s just a tip of the responsibilities that we have here.

“Cargill is a vital part and I don’t know what I would do without them."

Cargill Plant Manager Jeremy Seyfert said Cargill has been doing this for 13 years. “It is very important to Cargill that people have a turkey for Thanksgiving. It’s really cool to see people’s face light up to get a turkey.”

Frank Marrocco, chief commercial officer of Blackwater, was also helping at the event.

“The reason we do it is because we are in this community, our business is in this community and the people that work for us live in this area and we’re just privileged to be a part of it,” Marrocco said.

Blackwater also painted the building after Hurricane Isaac. Blackwater sends a stipend of $250 every month.

Ingram said that Progressive Waste donates their Dumpsters free of charge.

Councilman Glenn Green summed up the event as a "godsend.'' He represents District 1, which is where the food bank is located. “This is the poorest district in the City of Westwego,” Green said.

“Most of the people that you see in that line are my constituents. This is a blessing, because some of them would not have a Thanksgiving dinner if it would not for this food bank and the efforts of Cargill and Blackwater.”

He said they come together with our community to help and that is a wonderful thing.

“You don’t see many communities were the industries, business, government and private sector all come together to help the less fortunate. But we have that here and it’s been going on and will continue to go on because our economy is hard right now and these people really need his help.”

Gina Rivere is the Westwego and Bridge City columnist who writes stories of community interest. She can be reached at 504.450.6517 or wegoword@gmail.com.